Right here in Connecticut the town of Branford is celebrating the first anniversary of the activation of their 4.5 acre solar array. The solar array was created through a power purchase agreement between the town and the Tesla power company. Tesla constructed the system and is responsible for operating and maintaining the solar farm, while the town provided the land the facility is built on. Tesla sells the power to the town at a discounted rate, and there was no financial investment on the town’s behalf. As always, solar power is a great deal!

This particular array consists of more than 4,000 computer-guided panels. These smart pv panels achieve maximum efficiency by tracking the sun as it moves across the sky. In just one year of operating, this relatively small solar array produced more than 1.24 million kilowatt-hours of energy. That’s enough to power 125 homes for the whole year!

In 2019, the town created the Clean Energy Ad Hoc Committee. This new committee is responsible for guiding town policy on matters related to clean energy, and looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With the Clean Energy Ad Hoc Committee’s guidance, the town is also working on implementing other clean energy initiatives. This includes a major town building energy conservation project and the purchasing of electric cars for the town fleet. They’re even developing a program to make high efficiency air source heat pumps more available for residential homes.

Clean energy is a movement, and here at Elite we’re proud to be a part of it! How is your town moving towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Are you doing anything to move towards a carbon-free future? Let us know in the comments!